Information on the Dodo Bird

While the dodo bird has long been extinct, it has remained a popular fixture in our culture through “Alice in Wonderland” and the phrase “dead as a dodo.” The dodo bird was only known for a short period of time by the human race before it became extinct. Because of this, information about the dodo bird is scarce and they still remain somewhat of a mystery.

The dodo bird (Raphus cucullatus) was native only to the Mauritius Island in the Indian Ocean. Because of its isolation, it was not discovered by humans until the 1500s. The first known descriptions of the birds were given by Dutch travelers who knew them as “walghvogel” meaning wallow bird or loathsome bird because of its taste. Where the term dodo came from is uncertain. Some believe that it came from the Dutch word dodoor meaning “sluggard” but it seems more likely that it came from the word dodaars meaning “knot-arse” and referencing the hind end feathers. 

Because the dodo bird was extinct before cameras were invented, only drawings and written accounts can provide insight as to how they looked. Based on these accounts, the bird was about a meter tall, weighing up to 50 pounds. It had a large 9-inch bill that had a hooked point and also had a large head. It was greyish and brownish in color, with a plume of feathers sticking off of its hind end. The dodo bird was flightless, as its sternum could not support flight. Oftentimes the birds were referred to as being fat, greedy and clumsy animals.

As the dodo bird only lived on one island and had never encountered any predators, they were not afraid of people.  This and the fact that they could not fly made them easy to catch.  Humans brought with them dogs, pigs, cats, and rats, which preyed on the dodos and their nests.  As the forests were destroyed by humans, their habitats were also demolished, adding to their extinction.  The exact date of their disappearance is unknown, but it is thought that it occurred in the 1660s to 1680s.